Standing in front of the imposing — and retired — space shuttle Discovery behind him, Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday hailed a new era in America's dedication to the space program, promising a return to the moon and worlds beyond.

"We won the race to the moon a half century ago, we will win the 21st century in space," he said at the first meeting of the revived National Space Council at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

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Pence, recalling his wonder at space watching a black-and-white television in Indiana and seeing shuttle launches as a member of Congress, vowed a new age of discovery, but he also called American leadership beyond earth as "vital to our national security. He warned of Russian and Chinese efforts to develop anti-satellite technology designed to threaten military effectiveness and chastised the practice of relying on Russian help to get Americans to the International Space Station.

"In the absence of American leadership, other nations have staked their claim," Pence said.

The council, dormant for nearly a quarter-century until President Donald Trump ordered it reconstituted, is meant to advise the president on policy and strategy for space. Led by Cabinet members, national security officials, scientists and business leaders, it will review current policy and set long-range goals.

Pence put emphasis on one of those goals: landing once again on Earth's closest satellite.

"We will return American astronauts to the moon," he said. "Not only to leave footprints and flags, but to send Americans to Mars and beyond."

Pence called the moon a stepping stone, training ground and foundation for commercial opportunities in space